Those of you who follow me know that I am starting a new job/career tomorrow. I am no longer in a school or district level position. Now, as an education consultant I will be focusing on the used of SMART products in the classroom. My hope is still have a connection to web 2.0 tools teachers can use but again the primary focus is SMART.
My original title Snapshots of Technology Integration came from two things I enjoy; photography and technology integration. Do you think with the change of jobs that I need to refresh my blog title or in the sake of branding leave it as is. After all, I hope to continue to give little snapshots of how to integrate technology in to the classroom… It would just be with a more specific technology.
I would like to take this time to share with you about me moving forward. People have been talking and asking… and now I can share.
I have been given the opportunity to work with a private company in Charleston, SC as an Education Consultant. In this position, I will be developing and implementing training, as well as creating consulting services with a focus on best practices for technology integration in all content areas in North and South Carolina. The really great part is I will be able to focus on one thing for 90% of the time. The focus will be SMART products (SMART Interactive Whiteboards, SMART Response, SMART Slate and so on). This is a once and a lifetime chance to build something new from my experiences and knowledge in instructional technology.
There are many wonderful things about this new opportunity. I will be working from home. Who would have thought living in Columbia, SC would be a perfect location? But it will allow me to easily travel between the home office in Charleston and North Carolina schools. Of course there is the salary, the perks, the incentives, and benefits but what is the best is the fact that this company believes in me. They believe I am the one person who can successfully build their education division. Wow, what a boost! I am so excited about creating, molding, shaping, and growing this opportunity.
My last day is September 11 and I am going to be very busy preparing my schools for the transition. With all of the excitement there is sadness. I will miss working with all of my teachers on a daily basis.
Now with this change… my blog will be getting a face lift over the next few months. I will change my focus and, yes, be writing more often sharing my experiences in my new job.
I just wanted to share my love of this thing they call ‘the internet’! Tonight I was catching up on the tweets I follow on Twitter and my friend, @Shirley8153, tweeted the following:
I thought hmm… Bob McFerrin. I love him! So I click on the link. It takes me to a blog post and video of him using pentatonic scale with an audience at the “Notes & Neurons: In Search of a Common Chorus” event. This particular event was taking illustrating music’s interaction with the brain and our emotions.Who cares, right? What I love about it is… this he was at the World Science Festival. Now I am engrossed in the happenings/highlights at the festival. I am learning… on my own time, in my own way, experiencing an event that I cannot attend, didn’t know occurred, or even would not have attended.
That is what I love about the internet and social networking. In a matter of a few clicks I am engrossed in something I would have never found on my own. Thank you, Shirley for expanding my learning.
If you can’t tell I am very excited about getting my MacBook. On Friday, I made a trip to the Apple Store in Charlotte. Here are some photos from our first meeting.
I have to say I am in love…. The MacBook is so sleek, clean, and easy to use. About 10 years ago I had a MacInstosh desktop and loved it but changed to a PC because at that time it was a little harder to be in a PC education system. Now the integration with Mac to PC is virtually seamless and I am happy to be back with Apple.
Anyway, if you have any words of advice, hints, shortcuts, or things you love about your Mac share them in the comments below!
I am trying to make a decision… should I keep my bluehost space? I like bluehost but am I really utilizing the space as I really should since I am paying for it? In the past I have used Edublogs and Blogger. Should I return to one of them? Lately, I have been so busy that posting isn’t a regular occurance. I have lost my way in the blogging world because of external issues. Whay am I writing? Who am I writing for?
Well, I was looking through my technorati account and I noticed. I have been tagged! IN MARCH! First off, Wendy, I am SO sorry I didn’t see this until now.
Ok, here we go…
My passion is learning, creating, and living technology. I have had different teaching experiences from classrooms without a computer to classrooms with every child having a computer. When technology is around our students and used properly its almost like creating a symphony. Its beautiful! Everything the learning, development, community building (within the class) and end product expectations are surpassed when students see your passion for the content with technology. They embrace it.
Directions: Find or create an image that captures what you are most passionate for kids to learn about.
Post a picture from a source like Flickr Creative Commons or make/take your own that captures what YOU are most passionate about for kids to learn…and give your picture a short title.
Title your blog post “Meme: Passion Quilt” and link back to this blog entry.
Include links to 5 folks in your professional learning network or whom you follow on Twitter/Pownce.
Since my return from NECC, I have been giving some thought to changing my online ID. My present online ID for every network I belong to is techforschool. During NECC, it was amazing how many people I talked to who didn’t know me as MaryAnn or even know my first name was MaryAnn. It was weird and I may be thinking stupid thoughts but … I am thinking it would be nice to be able to say, “Hi, I’m MaryAnn” and not “Hi, I am techforschool online”. I have had this ID for years… you know before it was cool to be online with networks. But I wonder with the vast social networking available and leaving my own digital footprint if I need to change to a form of my name.
Here are some options: maryann_s, sansonetti, msansonetti
Since my return from NECC, I have been giving some thought to changing my online ID. My present online ID for every network I belong to is techforschool. During NECC, it was amazing how many people I talked to who didn’t know me as MaryAnn or even know my first name was MaryAnn. It was weird and I may be thinking stupid thoughts but … I am thinking it would be nice to be able to say, “Hi, I’m MaryAnn” and not “Hi, I am techforschool online”. I have had this ID for years… you know before it was cool to be online with networks. But I wonder with the vast social networking available and leaving my own digital footprint if I need to change to a form of my name.
Here are some options: maryann_s, sansonetti, msansonetti
I am looking over my schedule for summer… and guess what … its FULL! I don’t get summer’s off anymore but I want the world to know how busy summer is while the teachers are gone.
June 2-19 Summer workshops in the district. (2) Three hour workshops a day.
June 25-26 Heading to the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC (Looking so forward to seeing David Jakes and Ewan McIntosh)
June 29-July 5 NECC in San Antonio, TX (Visiting my brother for a couple days after)
July 14-20 Heading to Chicago, IL to update my SMART Certification for Notebook Version 10 Software. (Ok, plus taking in a show and driving to Iowa to see my mom.)
July 23-25 District Leadership Institute – will be presenting at some point over the three days
July 29 Presenting at the SCetv Summer Workshops
Late July early August hosting a SMART State-wide Users group
August 6 Conducting a SMART Master Teacher Session
WOW! Summer is gone… Yes, I will fortunately get to see my mom and my brother with two of my trips… but in the few days I am in my office, I have to plan my year for my 10 schools, submit conference proposals, start creating lessons for teachers, help plan the back to school PD for media specialists… and I am sure a couple million other things.
What are you doing for the summer? Something much less structured, I hope.
image credits: Joe Lanman. Compact Calendar Card. http://www.flickr.com/photos/joelanman/367425390/sizes/s/
You can probably mark this as read but… I have to admit… I have a bit of spring fever. The weather in South Carolina has been absolutely beautiful. Work has been hectic and I haven’t been reading my Google Reader like I am supposed to do. I try to schedule time to read the blogs I subscribe … especially after attending Chris O’Neal’s session at FETC. He said it was ok, so its ok for me to do it at work… so I have tried but haven’t succeeded. The time I schedule ends up constituting an emergency on my part for someone else’s poor planning. (Hey, wait that is not the way that saying is supposed to go…)
In my own little strange world, I think of the only blogs out there to read are educational blogs. Of course I know there are blogs on every subject but my mind the only ones out there for me to read were those in which would help me with my job. With the weather being so wonderful and me trying to turn my brain off… I have started a new section in my Google Reader… I now have an obsession with Stamping blogs… yes, to add to my dorkiness… I love to make cards using my many Stampin’ up sets. It is a guilty pleasure for me. The stamping blogs are great because they give me great ideas to take my mind off of work.
Do you have any interesting blogs in your reader?
End of the year testing starts next week, so the schools I work with will not want me around over the next two weeks. I have a stack of articles I need read and by then even more blogs to catch up with. I guess I will be one of the only people on earth who is thankful for the testing season.
I am looking over my schedule for summer… and guess what … its FULL! I don’t get summer’s off anymore but I want the world to know how busy summer is while the teachers are gone.
